8. The ring of fire

The day had finally come. I was partly excited but mostly nervous. I had no idea what to expect from this party. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy myself at all. It was reassuring that Hunter and Mike were going to be there with me but I still had my doubts. Was it possible that this was all just an elaborate prank? Maybe I was being set up for some hidden camera show where everyone just jumps out of the bushes and let's me know this was all a hoax. Or maybe I was just overthinking things and should get myself ready for my first party that wasn't Superman themed.

Not much came of the the day except a little bit of work put into my project with Zara. Even then, I didn't put in as much work as I would have liked to. I really hoped I was more focused on it but I couldn't help it. I soon defeatedly put the art away and proceeded to blow my afternoon away with video games.

If mom hadn't come knocking to confirm the time of the party, I would never have gone to prepare myself on time. Even as I did, I contemplated cancelling my attendance. My phone was already in hand ready to tell Hunter I couldn't make it. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't just leave Hunter and Mike at the very last minute. We are supposed to be there for each other, I tried to assure myself. With a sigh, I continued to ready myself for a night to remember. I was certain that whether or not I liked what was going to happen to me tonight, it was going to be a huge change.

Mom was not going to be around for a big part of the night so she wouldn't be able to drop me off at the party or pick me up. I had to go and come back with Hunter, which was a welcome alternative. Hunter arrived at my house at exactly the time he said he would. He was probably more eager for this party than I was. The whole drive to the venue of the party, Hunter's dad gave us a talk about what not to do at these kinds of events. It was a very exhaustive list. Even parked outside Douglas' house, we had to wait a few minutes to fully complete the talk before we were let go.

There it was. Change. Never thought change would sound like hard bass from ground-shaking party music. I wondered how the neighbours could stand the constant thumping. We weren't even inside yet and I could already feel my inner ear beating out of my head to the tune of the current song. The smell of change was inviting though. A nice, fresh barbecue smell hanging in the air. Beyond the symmetrical hedge work in the front yard, a number of partygoers ate or danced to the music which seemed to come from the back. Beside a small snack table stood the source of the smell of change. People lined up to get their share of food that looked very appetising before moving over to a ring of people who watched the bold dance to the music. In the midst of my daze over the whole party atmosphere, Douglas came over to us with a girl I didn't recognise.

"Tony you made it," Douglas said with a grin. "We are just getting started. Make yourselves a home and enjoy the party."

Hunter and I were on the same wavelength by heading straight for the barbecue. Only after I began eating did I even think of finding Mike. Good thing is he was not to hard to find. He was inside the house talking to a few mutual friends. Now that the gang was together and my stomach was satisfied,I was not sure what to do except stand and watch all the events unfold. I actually felt a little disappointed that it was less chaotic than I had anticipated.

My Tony senses began to tingle right before I turned and noticed Alex in the crowd. She was dancing with a bunch of her friends in the backyard. I stared at her until Hunter caught my attention. He had noticed me drift off and now knew why.

"Are you going to talk to her?" Hunter asked.

"I don't know," I responded. "She seems kinda busy."

"Are you being serious?" Mike asked rhetorically. "You've been talking to her this whole week. What's different about now?"

I hesitated. "Nothing. It's just....I'm just a bit nervous okay."

"Just do it mate," Hunter insisted. "You have nothing to lose."

Well I had my self worth to lose if I failed but I took his advice. It felt like the longest walk of my life moving from Hunter to the dance floor where Alex was. The music seemed to fade away. I stared to think of how to start the conversation without looking like an absolute idiot. What was I going to say?

'Hey Alex. You dance nice.'

Minus two points for that. I'm trying to make conversation, not a weird sitcom scene. I was way too deep in my mind to notice the fast forming ring around me. When I noticed what was happening it was already too late. I was at the very centre of the dancing area and everyone was cheering me on to perform for them. I looked around in distress, wondering how I could get out of this one. I tried to look for Hunter and Mike but to no avail. In my panic I caught eyes with Alex. Just like the rest, she chanted and cheered for me to dance for the circle. It is debatable, but at that point I was going to embarrass myself more if refused to dance than if I didn't. I stared one last time at Alex, took a deep breath and began to move my body.

I must have blacked out a little because all I can remember after that was me standing in the circle, the sound of clapping all around me. I looked around in a daze. I'm grateful Hunter came over to pull me out of my pause. He basically dragged me to the front yard when I finally came to my senses.

"You have officially made my night mate," Hunter said, laughing his head off. "That was legendary."

"You certainly made a statement," Mike laughed along as well.

I wish I had the energy or right state of mind to retort but nothing ping came out. I wasn't even able to let out a laugh in solidarity. I could feel body vibrate violent, most likely out of shock. Around that moment, Abigail came over to greet us.

"Tony that was so cool," Abigail said. "You're a pretty good dancer."

"I'm not sure I would say the same," I managed to blurt out.

"Well I'm here to tell you that you are."

"Thanks. I guess."

"You know, I actually wasn't sure you would make it."

"Trust me. Neither was I."

"But here you are. How are you finding it so far."

"At this point,I don't think I can be any more stimulated by this party."

I was wrong. It was as if the universe was waiting for me to say something so it could prove me wrong. Up in the darkened sky, a huge flash of light appeared out of nowhere. For a moment I took for nothing more than a fireworks display but there a few issues with that conclusion. For one thing, the explosion seemed to form in an unstable halo high up the sky before shooting down to the ground somewhere quite far beyond the horizon of the buildings in the neighbourhood. I could barely hear what sounded like electricity cutting through the air over the music. I was unable to hear an impact if there was any. A thin stream of smoke hung over where the bright halo had formed in the sky. At that point I thought I had gone insane. Everyone around seemed oblivious to what I just saw. Instead they stared at me curiously.

"You doing alright, Tony?" Hunter asked.

I let out a quick chuckle. "I think I have to get some air."